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Sussex County News

Sussex County, Delaware

Population:

156,638 (2000 Census)

County council meetings

Tuesdays, 10 a.m. (second Tuesday of each month), council chambers, county administrative building; council meetings and other public meetings held in the council chambers are broadcast over the Internet

Planning & Zoning meets:

Thursdays, two to four times per month, 6 p.m.; occasional Wednesday afternoons; council chambers, county administrative building

Board of Adjustments meets:

Mondays, two to four times per month, 7 p.m.; council chambers, county administrative building

Elections:

Council members elected by district, to four-year terms; council president selected from among council members

Officials from area coastal towns met recently under the auspices of the Association of Coastal Towns (ACT), focused primarily on the issue of dredging in the inland bays, Bethany Beach Mayor Jack Gordon noted at the Bethany town council’s Nov. 17 meeting.

Neighbors ready to appeal should County approve application

The residents of Irons Acres are ready for a fight. The community of 26 lots and 21 homes is awaiting a decision from the Sussex County Board of Adjustment this week as to whether a manufactured home that Oakwood Homes placed on a lot on their street will be granted a special-use exception and be allowed to remain there.

Residents along Route 54 in Selbyville are trying to get a grip on the traffic volume on their two-lane roadway. At a Nov. 2 public meeting, the problem wasn’t solved, but now people know how it happened.

“The market is very strong right now. This area is a very ideal area for development. So you are going to see a lot more,” said Sussex County Administrator Todd Lawson.

The Sussex County Board of Adjustment voted unanimously to again defer their vote on a special-use exemption applications filed by Oakwood Homes.

The company is seeking two special-use exceptions to permit manufactured homes on two separate lots, each measuring less than .75 acres — one located on Hoot Owl Lane near Dagsboro and the other on Julie Court near Frankford.

Special to the Coastal Point • Submitted: The numbers are daunting in Delaware’s heroin epidemic.“This is like watching a hurricane grow,” said Robert Stuart regarding the heroin epidemic in the state to those attending the Sussex County Today & Tomorrow Conference on Oct. 25.

Stuart, director of Sussex County Emergency Medical Services, was joined at the conference by Lt. Tim Hulings and intelligence analyst Nicole Sapp, both of the Delaware State Police.

Stuart noted that, in looking at heroin-related statistics, the Millsboro area was in the top five for use of the overdose-reversing drug Narcan (naloxone).

“It’s not an underprivileged community — it’s one of the fastest-growing towns in the state of Delaware,” he said. “It’s the entire state of Delaware… It’s everywhere.”

As part of an ongoing effort locally, state-wide and nationally, people are being encouraged to visit some of their local police departments this weekend to properly dispose of their unneeded or expired prescription medications.

The Sussex County Board of Adjustment has chosen to table, for a second time, their decision on two special-use exception applications filed by Oakwood Homes.

The company is seeking two special-use exceptions to permit manufactured homes on two separate lots, each measuring less than .75 acres — one located on Hoot Owl Lane near Dagsboro and the other on Julie Court near Frankford.

Coastal Point • Maria Counts : Active-duty military serice personnel, veterans and their mentors are recognized at Sussex County Superior Courts for their participation in the Veterans Treatment Court program.Last month, Sussex County Superior Courts took the time to recognize and honor active-duty military service personnel, veterans and their mentors who participate in the Veterans Treatment Court program.

“Mentors — the strength of the court here is in large measure due to you,” said Delaware Superior Court Judge Richard F. Stokes, who served as a U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps officer during the Vietnam War, “the people who have served, the people that have seen things and understand that when veterans who have served our country come back, they have special problems, because they took the oath and served our country.”

The Veterans Treatment Court’s mission is to divert veterans who meet strict requirements from the traditional criminal justice system and provide them with the tools to lead a productive and law-abiding life.

On Sept. 28, Brig. Gen. Mike Berry, land component commander of the Delaware National Guard, who also serves as deputy commander of Troop 4 for the Delaware State Police, attended the event to show his support of the Court and its veterans.

A slew of individuals attended the Sussex County Council meeting on Oct. 10 to voice their support for a proposed sports complex in Georgetown.

Last month, the Sussex Sports Center Foundation requested that Sussex County financially support their endeavor to build a sports facility for residents’ and visitors’ use in Georgetown, just north of Route 9 on Sandhill Road.

More than a dozen residents of Hoot Owl Lane near Dagsboro came out to a Sussex County Board of Adjustment meeting on Oct. 2 to voice their opposition to a special-use exception application filed by Oakwood Homes.

The Sussex County Council at its Tuesday council meeting introduced a draft ordinance related to special events.

Assistant County Attorney Vince Robertson said most of the draft ordinance remains the same as the existing ordinance. Those who wish to host a special event would go into the Planning & Zoning office for a permit or would have to apply for a conditional use.

Members of the Sussex Sports Center Foundation this week requested that Sussex County financially support their endeavor at the Sussex County Council meeting on Sept. 26, giving a presentation on the project to the council.

The foundation is planning to build a sports facility for resident and visitor use in Georgetown, just north of Route 9 on Sandhill Road.

The Fire Marshal might have frowned at the number of people squeezed into Roxana Fire Hall on Sept. 19. But Route 54 residents hovered just under the 274 occupancy limit, showing just how concerned they are about traffic issues in their corner of Sussex County.

Two-lane highways are under volume pressure as more houses and vehicles bring people to coastal Delaware. There will be a public meeting to discuss traffic conditions along Route 54 (Lighthouse Road) on Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 12:30 p.m. at the Roxana Volunteer Fire Company’s fire hall.